William f



(No Model.)

W. F. RBIOHENBAGH. INDICATOR.

No. 573,106. Patented Dec. 15,1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

lVlLLIAM F. REICHENBACH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,106, dated December 15, 1896.

Application filed June 11, 1896,

To all whont it III/y concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM F. REIOHEN- BACH, a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to devices for indicating numbers or the like and suitable for denoting time, marking the points of games, or displaying other numbers or marks. Its object is to cheapen and simplify such devices and to increase their utility; and the invention consists in a series of superposed disks or plates of special form and arrangement, as hereinafter particularly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the upper disk being removed and the binding-eyelet sectioned. Fig. 3 is a like view of a third disk, the two first being removed and the eyelet shown in section. Fig. lis a plan of the device provided with four disks. Figs. 5 and G are edge elevations. Fig. 7 is a plan on a reduced scale, showing a small disk pivoted eccentrically to a larger one and showing different forms of finger-pieces, and also showing one of the main disks made slightly larger than the other.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5 of the drawings, numeral 1 denotes the front disk, made of cardboard, wood veneer, sheet metal, Or other suitable thin material and preferably provided with an eye or loop 2 for suspending the same on a pin, holder, or the like. Opposite the eye 2 a notch 30f considerable extent is provided, as indicated. Adjacent the notch words, such as lVill return at, according to the purpose of the indicator, may be provided.

4: denotes an eyelet for securing the disk 1 rotatably to disks 5 and 6, situated behind or below it.

The disk 5 is provided with notches 7 in its periphery, each notch being of less extent than that in the outer disk. On the parts of said disks which separate the notches 7 are marked in order any desired numbers, as, for example, the numbers of the hours from l to 12, inclusive. The disk 6 will in such case be marked with multiples of five to de- Serial No. 595,179. (No model.-

note divisions of an hour. The notch 3 is of sufficient extent to permit an hour figure and two figures indicating minutes to be visible.

8 denotes a finger-piece integral with or attached to disk 5, and 9 is a finger-piece on disk (3. Said latter piece maybe made longer than the finger-piece 8 to permit its more convenient manipulation with a finger of the hand held on its edge in rotating a disk.

To further facilitate manipulation one or both of the finger-pieces may have its extremity turned at an angle to its main part, as indicated at 10. A finger-piece 10 or 11 on the upper disk or disks may be formed by turning at an angle thereto a part of the material cut to provide a notch. For the same general purpose one of the disks, as, for example, the outer one or that next below it, may be made a little larger than the others to adapt it to be held edgewise between the thumb and finger without interfering with the rotation of the other disks, as indicated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 7.

11 is a finger-piece on the small disk 12, formed similarly to 10. Either of these, in cooperation with the suspending device, can be used to prevent rotation of the disk to which it is attached when the others are retated in case it is not convenient to hold it edgewise between a thumb and finger, as be fore explained.

To set the device to indicate any desired time a disk may be held against rotation and the others manipulated to disclose through the notches the numbers corresponding to the desired indication. If, however, the indicator remains suspended against a wall, the outer disk may be held against rotation by its finger-piece 11 and the other disks suit ably manipulated.

The above-described device is adapted for use in indicating the n umbers of games played and the points in an unfinished game by the superposition of a small notched disk 12, the several disks being rotatably joined by an eyelet.

On the disk 1 and under the periphery of disk 12 the nine digits or any other number may be arranged to be separately exposed through the notch 13 in disk 12 by suitable rotation thereof to mark the number of games. 11 denotes a finger-piece formed by turning up the material or a part of it left between slits made to produce the notch 13.

The numbers in the game-counter will preferably consist of the nine digits and zero suitably arranged on each disk except disk 12, and the two lower disks will be used to denote the poin ts of each game. In some cases the numbers on disk 1 may be used to denote the grand total of games, those on disk 5 the games for an evening or any period and those on disk 6 the points in a particular game. Other changes of the same general character may be made in the use of either form of the device.

Thin cheap material can be used, and each disk and its finger-pieces can be stamped or cut outin one piece, including the suspending eye, if desired. The finger-pieces are made and arranged as set forth, and the relative sizes of the disks are adapted to facilitate the separate holding or rotation of each disk as desired, such means being of special importance, because otherwise the thinness of the disks would render them difficult to operate.

Although the small notched disk 12 may be arranged concentrically with and pivoted by means of the same eyelet as the other disks these particulars are not essential, and said disk maybe eccentrically pivoted to the contiguous disk by a separate eyelet, as indicated in Fig. 7, in which 4 denotes such a separate eyelet for the purpose. The object of this separate pivot is to obviate the danger of rotating the disks together by the friction around a single central pivot.

14, 15, and 16 denote finger-pieces, each for a separate disk and so formed as not to coincide when situated adjacent each other, as indicated in full lines. One piece 14:, attached to the bottom or rear disk, is made of substantially the form shown, and the pieces 15 and 16, attached to the upper or front disks, are of similar form, except that they are partially cut away on adjacent edges, as at 15 and 16, respectively, in order that each may be more conveniently seized by the fingers than would be practicable if they coincided. They are also more easily distinguished by this variation in form, whether they are situated adjacent each other or elsewhere, as indicated by dotted lines.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of the disks 1, 5 and 6 each of the last two disks being independently rotatable with respect to each other and with respect to disk 1 through an entire circle and each provided with numbers of diiferent denominations and a fastening permitting the independent rotation of the disks, the upper or front disk 1 being provided with a notch, and the disk 5 with smaller notches, and the disks 5 and 6 having their respective numbers arranged in circles adjacent the paths of the notches, whereby numbers on the lower disk may be exposed through the notch in the one next above and whereby numbers on both lower disks may be simultaneously exposed through the notch in disk 1, and fingerpieces on the lower disks to manipulate the same, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the disks 1., 5 and 6 each of the latter disks being independently rotatable with respect to each other and with respect to disk 1 through an entire circle and each provided with numbers of different denominations and a fastening permitting the independent rotation of the disks, the upper or front disk 1 being provided with a notch, and the disk 5 with smaller notches, and the disks 5 and 6 having their respective numbers arranged in circles adjacent the paths of the notches, whereby numbers on the lower disk may be exposed through the notch in the one next above and whereby numbers on both lower disks may be simultaneously exposed through the notch in disk 1, and a disk 12 arranged centrally within the notches of the other disks and itself provided with a notch, said disk 1 having a circle of figures arranged directly beneath the path of the notch in disk 12, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the disks 1, 5 and 6 each of the latter disks being independently rotatable with respect to each other and with respect to disk 1 through an entire circle and each provided with numbers of different dcnominations and a fastening permitting the independent rotation of the disks, the upper or front disk 1 being provided with a notch, and the disk 5 with smaller notches, and the disks 5 and 6 having their respective numbers arranged in circles adjacent the paths of the notches, whereby numbers on the lower disk may be exposed through the notch in the one next above and whereby numbers on both lower dis-ks may be simultaneously exposed through the notch in disk 1, and a disk 12 arranged centrally within the notches of the other disks and itself provided with a notch and having a finger-piece 11 formed of metal cut from the adjacent notch, said disk 1 having a circle of figures arranged directly beneath the path of the notch in disk 12, substantially as described.

4. In an indicator the combination of a central fastening and a plurality of circular rotatable indicating-disks suitably marked and provided respectively with integral fingerpieces 15 and 16 extending outwardly from and beyond their main circular peripheries, said pieces having each a diagonally cutaway edge situated opposite to that of the other piece, the pieces being otherwise equal and similar, whereby a dissimilar outline is produced in otherwise similar finger-pieces for convenience in distinguishing and manipulating them when contiguous, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribin g witnesses.

IVILLIAM l REICIIENBAUI l.

'\\"itnesses:

ARTHUR H. BLOOM, THOMAS D. XVILKIN.

IIO 

